Accidents 40% of ER Gun Injuries

27 Dec Accidents 40% of ER Gun Injuries

Across the state, four out of 10 people who come to hospital emergency rooms with nonfatal gunshot wounds were shot by accident, according to the Orlando Sentinel (paywall alert). The rate is even higher in Orange County, with accidents accounting for more than half of firearm-related ER visits.

It’s hard to compare Florida’s rate to the rest of the nation. The numbers the Sentinel used to determine Florida’s accidental shooting rate come from the Agency for Health Care Administration, keeps a “direct count of each gunshot injury treated in a hospital,” the Sentinelreports.